Authors : Ahmet Bozkurt and Suleyman Ertugrul Guven
Abstract: The effects of vegetation on the spatial distribution and abundance of freshwater zooplankton and richness in species were studied in 3 reservoirs; Lake Golbasi (36°30'17"N 36°29'35"E), Lake Golkent (36°53'54"N 36° 05' 21"E) and Kampus Reservoir (36° 19' 46" N 36° 11' 65" E) in Northeastern Mediterranean Region (Hatay). The abundance of certain species, for example Euchlanis dilatata Ehrenberg, 1832, Lecane closterocerca (Schmarda, 1859) and L. lunaris (Ehrenberg, 1832) differed significantly between macrophyte species. Other planktonic forms such as Ascomorpha saltans Bartsch, 1870, Keratella cochlearis (Gosse, 1851) and Synchaeta oblonga Ehrenberg, 1832, however, showed no significant preference for macrophyte species. A significant correlation were found between zooplankton and water quality parameters in vegetated and unvegetated areas with few exceptions and it was found that zooplankton species did not prefer any macrophyt species for living. The species richness of Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda were higher in the vegetated areas than in unvegetated areas of the reservoirs as well abundance of them, especially copepod and cladocer species.
Ahmet Bozkurt and Suleyman Ertugrul Guven , 2009. Zooplankton Composition and Distribution in Vegetated and Unvegetated Area of Three Reservoirs in Hatay, Turkey. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 8: 984-994.